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Press Release - Los Angeles Marathon - 3/10/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
      Major Environmental Effort Underway For Honda LA Marathon
           Race is one of only seven marathons nationwide to 
	                 achieve certification in 2009

LOS ANGELES – March 10, 2010 – Organizing a major marathon involves a 
mountain of details, and creates a mountain of trash.

The 2010 Honda LA Marathon presented by K-Swiss, however, is finding ways 
to reduce the environmental impact of the event and its 2009 efforts earned 
it certification from the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS), based on 
scoring on its six categories of waste, climate, equipment and materials, 
community and outreach, health promotion and innovation. It is one of only 
seven marathons nationally to receive certification.

The Marathon worked with Athletes for a Fit Planet to create and execute 
the plan for certification qualification. The highlights from the 2009 
effort included:

  • Diversion of about 50% of the 10 tons of solid waste created by the race away from landfills to recycling and waste-to-energy uses, resulting in less than 0.5 lbs of landfill waste per participant. The thousands of wax paper cups collected from the course were turned into clean energy.
  • Introduction of a "virtual goodie bag" that saved the use of 50,000 plastic bags and printing of about 1,000,000 pieces of literature. Participants received an email with product and service promotions that they could redeem online.
  • Reduction of the carbon footprint of the race by using bio-deisel-powered generators and encouraging participants to ride-share or use public transportation to get to the race.
  • Partnership with Heal the Bay to raise awareness and funding for programs to clean up Santa Monica Bay.
  • Partnership with Students Run L.A., a program to encourage fitness among youth, which is part of the CRS social responsibility category of Health Promotion.
  • Provided "green' portable toilets, which replaced toxic chemicals used in the tanks with eco-friendly, non-toxic chemicals. "The LA Marathon did a phenomenal job to green the race in 2009 by earning certification to the rigorous industry standard administered by the Council for Responsible Sport," said Bruce Rayner, Chief Green Officer, Athletes for a Fit Planet. "The race organizers are committed to making sustainability a core element of the identity of the race again this year." Additional efforts being channeled into the 2010 race include, but are not limited to:
  • Recycling of runner's gear-check bags and mylar blankets at the Finish Line Beach Party.
  • Composting of food waste from the pre-race Win Forever Inspiration Dinner.
  • Printing of some promotional literature using soy-based inks.
  • Awarding of reusable water bottles for age-group winners.
  • Free bike valet area at the Finish Line Beach Party (located at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway) and at Ocean and Arizona Avenues in Santa Monica from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on raceday. A specially-recruited team of Eco Volunteers will be assisting with the effort, both at the LA Marathon Expo at Dodger Stadium and around the finish-line area in Santa Monica, encouraging recycling packaging materials used by vendors and collecting recyclable materials from runners. CRS formally launched the standard in 2009 and the Marathon was one of the first events nationally to commit to certification. "Any event of our size, with 25,000 participants and more than a half-million spectators, is going to generate some environmental impact," noted LA MARATHON LLC creative director Peter Abraham. "But with some careful planning and an eye toward reducing waste wherever we can, we can make a difference and we're committed to doing so." ###

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